Bruce L. Gordon
Encyclopedia
Bruce L. Gordon is a Canadian philosopher of science (physics), metaphysician and philosopher of religion.
, Alberta
, Canada
in 1963.
Gordon earned two undergraduate degrees, one in piano performance at the Royal Conservatory of Music
at the University of Toronto
in 1982 and another in applied mathematics at the University of Calgary
in 1986. He was awarded a masters degree in analytic philosophy from the University of Calgary
in 1988. He moved to the United States
for graduate study in 1988, and has been a permanent resident ever since. In 1990, Gordon received a masters degree in apologetics and systematic theology from Westminster Theological Seminary
in Philadelphia. Finally, he was awarded a Ph.D. from Northwestern University
in Evanston
, Illinois
in the history and philosophy of science
(physics
) in 1998.
and a Fellow in the Center for Philosophy of Religion at Notre Dame in 1998-99. In 1999 he became associate director of William Dembski's short-lived Michael Polanyi Center
at Baylor University
, and became its director on Dembski's removal. The Michael Polanyi Center was later renamed and reconstituted within the Baylor Institute for Faith and Learning
, where Gordon was an Assistant Research Professor.
He has since left to become Research Director at the Discovery Institute
's Center for Science and Culture
. Gordon is a known proponent of intelligent design
and Fellow of the International Society for Complexity, Information and Design
(ISCID). He was the managing editor of the moribund Access Research Network
journal Origin and Design, as of its last issue (20:1) and an associate editor of the likewise moribund ISCID journal. In April 2010 Gordon was named Associate Professor of Science and Mathematics at The King’s College, New York.
Early life and education
Gordon was born in CalgaryCalgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in 1963.
Gordon earned two undergraduate degrees, one in piano performance at the Royal Conservatory of Music
Royal Conservatory of Music
The Royal Conservatory of Music is a music school and performance venue in Toronto, Canada. Other uses of the term include:*The Madrid Royal Conservatory, Spain*The Royal Academy of Music, London, United Kingdom...
at the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
in 1982 and another in applied mathematics at the University of Calgary
University of Calgary
The University of Calgary is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1966 the U of C is composed of 14 faculties and more than 85 research institutes and centres.More than 25,000 undergraduate and 5,500 graduate students are currently...
in 1986. He was awarded a masters degree in analytic philosophy from the University of Calgary
University of Calgary
The University of Calgary is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1966 the U of C is composed of 14 faculties and more than 85 research institutes and centres.More than 25,000 undergraduate and 5,500 graduate students are currently...
in 1988. He moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for graduate study in 1988, and has been a permanent resident ever since. In 1990, Gordon received a masters degree in apologetics and systematic theology from Westminster Theological Seminary
Westminster Theological Seminary
Westminster Theological Seminary is a Presbyterian and Reformed Christian graduate educational institution located in Glenside, Pennsylvania, with a satellite location in London.-History:...
in Philadelphia. Finally, he was awarded a Ph.D. from Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
in Evanston
Evanston, Illinois
Evanston is a suburban municipality in Cook County, Illinois 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
in the history and philosophy of science
Philosophy of science
The philosophy of science is concerned with the assumptions, foundations, methods and implications of science. It is also concerned with the use and merit of science and sometimes overlaps metaphysics and epistemology by exploring whether scientific results are actually a study of truth...
(physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
) in 1998.
Career
He was a visiting assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Notre DameUniversity of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
and a Fellow in the Center for Philosophy of Religion at Notre Dame in 1998-99. In 1999 he became associate director of William Dembski's short-lived Michael Polanyi Center
Michael Polanyi Center
The Michael Polanyi Center at Baylor University was the first center at a research university exclusively dedicated to intelligent design study. It was founded in 1999 "with the primary aim of advancing the...
at Baylor University
Baylor University
Baylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...
, and became its director on Dembski's removal. The Michael Polanyi Center was later renamed and reconstituted within the Baylor Institute for Faith and Learning
Baylor Institute for Faith and Learning
The Institute for Faith and Learning was founded in 1997 to "assist Baylor University in achieving its mission of integrating academic excellence and Christian commitment, and its goal of becoming a university of the first rank committed to its Baptist and Christian heritage." This is encapsulated...
, where Gordon was an Assistant Research Professor.
He has since left to become Research Director at the Discovery Institute
Discovery Institute
The Discovery Institute is a non-profit public policy think tank based in Seattle, Washington, best known for its advocacy of intelligent design...
's Center for Science and Culture
Center for Science and Culture
The Center for Science and Culture , formerly known as the Center for the Renewal of Science and Culture , is part of the Discovery Institute, a conservative Christian think tank in the United States...
. Gordon is a known proponent of intelligent design
Intelligent design
Intelligent design is the proposition that "certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection." It is a form of creationism and a contemporary adaptation of the traditional teleological argument for...
and Fellow of the International Society for Complexity, Information and Design
International Society for Complexity, Information and Design
The International Society for Complexity, Information, and Design was a non-profit professional society that promoted intelligent design...
(ISCID). He was the managing editor of the moribund Access Research Network
Access Research Network
Access Research Network , based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, evolved from an earlier creationist organization, Students for Origins Research . SOR was founded in 1977 by a group of students at the University of California at Santa Barbara as an "alternative view" to both the Young Earth...
journal Origin and Design, as of its last issue (20:1) and an associate editor of the likewise moribund ISCID journal. In April 2010 Gordon was named Associate Professor of Science and Mathematics at The King’s College, New York.
Writings
- Maxwell-Boltzmann Statistics and the Metaphysics of Modality, Bruce L. Gordon
- Fock Space metaphysics, Bruce L. Gordon
- The Nature of Nature: Examining the Role of Naturalism in Science, Bruce L. Gordon and William A. Dembski, editors. Contains three essays by Gordon: "The Rise of Naturalism and Its Problematic Role in Science and Culture," "A Quantum-Theoretic Argument against Naturalism," and "Balloons on a String: A Critique of Multiverse Cosmology."
- Inflationary Cosmology and the String Multiverse, New Proofs for the Existence of God: Contributions of Contemporary Physics and Philosophy, by Robert J. Spitzer, contains a substantial appendix by Bruce Gordon on inflationary cosmology and the string landscape hypothesis.